India strikes back at Trump's 'more tariffs' threat, says US targeting 'unjustified'
India reacted strongly after US President Donald Trump again threatened substantial tariffs against the country for purchasing Russian oil and “selling it on the open market for big profits”. It accused the US and the European Union of unfairly “targeting” India when they themselves were importing key inputs from Russia.“The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement issued late Monday. “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.”The MEA said the US had initially supported India’s purchases from Russia, which had been forced to look elsewhere after the Ukraine war began.
“India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict,” the MEA said. “In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The US at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability.”Trump had last week announced a 25% duty on all Indian goods in addition to a penalty for buying a “vast majority” of Russian military equipment and crude oil. “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social on Monday.Affordability Factor“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,” he said.“Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA,” he said, without elaborating what the levy would be. India said its imports are aimed at ensuring predictable and affordable energy prices for the domestic consumer.“They are a necessity compelled by the global market situation,” the MEA said. “However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”The MEA pointed out that the EU still has strong commercial ties with Russia, even surpassing those of India.“The European Union in 2024 had a bilateral trade of € 67.5 billion in goods with Russia. In addition, it had trade in services estimated at € 17.2 billion in 2023,” it said. “This is significantly more than India’s total trade with Russia that year or subsequently. European imports of LNG in 2024, in fact, reached a record 16.5 million tonnes, surpassing the last record of 15.21 million tonnes in 2022.Apart from energy, Europe’s trade with Russia includes fertilisers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel and machinery and transport equipment, it said.The US also imports critical products from Russia.“Where the United States is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilisers as well as chemicals,” the MEA pointed out.Trump had previously targeted India and Russia for their close ties and said the two countries can take their “dead economies down together”.India had responded by reiterating that it will take all necessary steps to safeguard its national interest, besides pointing out that the country’s economy — the fastestgrowing major one — was a bright spot amid global uncertainty.It may be recalled that between 2022 and 2024, senior US officials had backed India’s imports of Russian oil that helped keep global oil markets stable. In May 2024, then US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti admitted that India bought Russian oil because the US wanted someone to purchase it to ensure prices did not go up globally. In February 2024, then US secretary of state Geoffery Pyatt acknowledged India’s role in stabilising global energy markets.
“India has been targeted by the United States and the European Union for importing oil from Russia after the commencement of the Ukraine conflict,” the MEA said. “In fact, India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict. The US at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability.”Trump had last week announced a 25% duty on all Indian goods in addition to a penalty for buying a “vast majority” of Russian military equipment and crude oil. “India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian oil, they are then, for much of the oil purchased, selling it on the open market for big profits,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social on Monday.Affordability Factor“They don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,” he said.“Because of this, I will be substantially raising the tariff paid by India to the USA,” he said, without elaborating what the levy would be. India said its imports are aimed at ensuring predictable and affordable energy prices for the domestic consumer.“They are a necessity compelled by the global market situation,” the MEA said. “However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion.”The MEA pointed out that the EU still has strong commercial ties with Russia, even surpassing those of India.“The European Union in 2024 had a bilateral trade of € 67.5 billion in goods with Russia. In addition, it had trade in services estimated at € 17.2 billion in 2023,” it said. “This is significantly more than India’s total trade with Russia that year or subsequently. European imports of LNG in 2024, in fact, reached a record 16.5 million tonnes, surpassing the last record of 15.21 million tonnes in 2022.Apart from energy, Europe’s trade with Russia includes fertilisers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel and machinery and transport equipment, it said.The US also imports critical products from Russia.“Where the United States is concerned, it continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilisers as well as chemicals,” the MEA pointed out.Trump had previously targeted India and Russia for their close ties and said the two countries can take their “dead economies down together”.India had responded by reiterating that it will take all necessary steps to safeguard its national interest, besides pointing out that the country’s economy — the fastestgrowing major one — was a bright spot amid global uncertainty.It may be recalled that between 2022 and 2024, senior US officials had backed India’s imports of Russian oil that helped keep global oil markets stable. In May 2024, then US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti admitted that India bought Russian oil because the US wanted someone to purchase it to ensure prices did not go up globally. In February 2024, then US secretary of state Geoffery Pyatt acknowledged India’s role in stabilising global energy markets.
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